For Unplanned Pregnancy information, the Royal Women's Hospital has a great set of fact sheets.
The Pregnancy Advisory Service at the Royal Womens is a valuable resource as a starting point for both workers and their clients to explore pregnancy options.
In Victoria the legislation states that it is legal to terminate a pregnancy up until 20 weeks gestation. There are a number of hospitals and clinics that provide this service. Counselling and support are offered to patients as part of the process and generally the cost is covered by Medicare if undertaken at a hospital. After a pregnancy has been confirmed via a beta HCG test, which is a test that checks for the hormone that is produced by an embryo, an ultrasound is often ordered to determine the age of the embryo if the woman is unsure of the first date of her last menstrual episode. This will influence whether a medical (medication based) or surgical termination is required.
Cost – Fees for termination vary based on how the length of the pregnancy and whether a medical or surgical abortion is required. Public hospitals generally do not charge is if a young person has a Medicare card.